At Close Range (1986)

In 1978 Pennsylvania, an absentee father is reacquainted with his estranged teenage sons who become intrigued with his romanticized life of crime.

Director:

James Foley

Writers:

Elliott Lewitt (story by), Nicholas Kazan (story by)

Stars:

Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, Mary Stuart Masterson

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Penn	...	Brad Jr.
Christopher Walken	...	Brad Sr.
Mary Stuart Masterson	...	Terry
Chris Penn	...	Tommy (as Christopher Penn)
Millie Perkins	...	Julie
Eileen Ryan	...	Grandma
Tracey Walter	...	Patch
R.D. Call	...	Dickie
David Strathairn	...	Tony Pine
J.C. Quinn	...	Boyd
Candy Clark	...	Mary Sue
Jake Dengel	...	Lester
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Tim
Stephen Geoffreys	...	Aggie
Crispin Glover	...	Lucas

Storyline

Based upon the true story of Bruce Johnston Sr., his son, and his brothers; together, they constituted one of suburban Philadelphia's most notorious crime families during the 1970s. Their criminal activities ranged from burglary, theft... and ultimately, murder.

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Plot Keywords:

real life brothers playing brothers | criminal | pennsylvania | 1970s | psychopath | 

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Taglines:

A father too dangerous to be close with. A son too dazzled to break away.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The director James Foley plays the Asst DA who Brad St tries to bribe at the cockfight

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Goofs

In the first heist after Brad quits his dad, they are stealing tractors from the Franklin Implement Inc which is where the film was made in Tennessee rather than Pennsylvania where it took place.

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Quotes

Brad Whitewood Sr.: That's Tony Pine - he's epileptic.

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Alternate Versions

The UK cinema version was cut by 1 min 1 sec by the BBFC to remove scenes of a cockfight. The 1986 Rank video version was pre-edited by the distributors to remove most of the scene beforehand and subsequently the cuts were reduced to 14 secs. However MGM submitted the original cinema print for the 2003 DVD release and thus 49 secs were cut from the same scene.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Celtic Price/Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie/Mrs. Winterbourne/The Substitute/Fear/Sweet Nothing (1996)

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Soundtracks

October
Written by Ole Georg (as Tom Elliott)

User Reviews

Better than I thought (revised review)...

Having recently purchased this movie on DVD and viewed it again, I feel compelled to amend my prior comments. On the most recent viewing, I watched the movie much more carefully than on prior viewings, and can now see the motivations of the character(s) more clearly, and how the 'situation' portrayed in the film spiralled out of control (click on my username to read my prior review for "At Close Range," in which I questioned the actions of the villain). On more careful viewing, the whole thing makes a lot more sense.

I want to revise my prior comment -- this is a superb film, and I've voted again and now give this film 9/10. If you haven't seen it, now's a great chance. Great acting by *everyone*, especially Sean Penn and Christopher Walken (this is one of Walken's best parts ever).

The DVD version of the film just came out (I had it on preorder and received it yesterday), and I have to say how impressed I am with the transfer. Absolutely superlative, clear picture quality, although I can't evaluate the sound because I have only stereo speakers, no dolby surround. But the video transfer itself is one of the best I've seen for a movie this old, looking like the film might just have been made six months ago. It appears that quite a bit of work went into restoration. If you have a DVD player, you owe it to yourself to get this film on DVD, although the only 'special feature' is the original theatrical trailer. The film is offered in both widescreen and pan-and-scan formats (two-sided single-layer).

Revised Review: 9/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 April 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

At Close Range

Filming Locations:

Franklin, Tennessee, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$180,286, 20 April 1986

Gross USA:

$2,347,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,347,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hemdale, Cinema '85, Cinema '84

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1